A completely unscientific survey on the state of bookstore chains

[pbray]

While in Connecticut this weekend, I stopped by a few bookstores.

The first store I stopped at was a Borders. There isn't one near where I live, so I always enjoy checking one out, and usually find unique titles to buy. This Borders, however, seemed to bear out the dire messages I've been hearing. The nonfiction was reasonably well-stocked, but in the fiction sections there were large holes where stock should be. The science fiction section was strangely organized--media titles were shelved among the general titles, so Dr Who books were filed under D, Star Trek and Star Wars both under S, Torchwood under T, Forgotten Realms titles were all filed under F, etc. The CD section was at least a third empty, and so poorly organized that I gave up looking. Normally a Borders has displays of new or featured titles for various subject areas, but these had been cut back or were empty.

Next up was a Borders Express at the local mall. I still can't figure out the difference between a Borders Express and a Waldenbooks, but the Express store was well-stocked, with a heavy emphasis on holiday gifts. Though I did notice that certain authors with new releases that had been absent from the Borders were also not carried by this Borders Express.

After dinner it was time to hit the Barnes & Noble superstore. Since we have a B&N here, I compared it to our local store, and noticed a few differences--the Connecticut store is slightly smaller, and proportionally children's books take up a larger percentage of floor space, but they were roughly similar in terms of the SF section. Authors stocked included new releases that had been conspicuously absent from both Borders.

While driving home, I took a break at Middletown, and visited their Borders. This store was well-stocked, there were interesting displays of new and featured releases, and the SF fiction was organized in a way that made sense (no gaping holes, and the media and specialty titles placed at the ends of the section.) Perhaps not surprising, here I picked up two hardcovers--one history and one literature.

Conclusion--if I was judging the health of the Borders chain by the first store I'd visited, I would have been extremely worried. But I'm more inclined to chalk that one up to poor management. Will have to wait and see how the bookstores and the rest of the retail industry fares during the holiday shopping season.

Comments

[rkbwrites.livejournal.com]

As for the health of Borders, the Borders in Crasnton, RI has become like the first Borders you mentioned. It used to be nice well stacked store but recently with Borders finacial problems the store had some gaping holes.

Some of the holes are big enough to make me go to B+N on RTE2 in Warwick...

[libwitch.livejournal.com]

Borders Express is generally, square footage, bigger then WB, and carries more multi-media (such as the top 10-20 dvd/music selections).

Borders varies store to store; I think frankly, it depends very much on what warehouse they are pulling from. You pull from a bad warehouse, and keep shit it stock becomes a nightmare. Our warehouse, frankly, is known for shipping out holiday titles weeks after the holiday is over!

The store I was at this week - Saratoga - was beautiful and well-stocked.

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

Haven't been in our local Borders for months, but they _used_ to have the media tie-ins shelved in their own ghetto. The one in the Cleveland area I visited a few months back, ditto.

[mizkit.livejournal.com]

Oh! Do you go there often? If you do, you should hunt down employee Matt Smith and pass on greetings from Catie Murphy. :) He's a very tall geeky fellow who draws comics for a living and works at the Saratoga Borders for the discount, I think. :)

[pbray.livejournal.com]

And then at some point it's a death spiral, since if they are perpetually out of stock or so disorganized that loyal customers stop coming to the store, the financial problems will only get worse.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

The Borders & Borders Express I stopped at were located less than a mile apart (Express inside the mall, the Borders in an adjacent shopping plaza), so I presume they are getting their stock from the same warehouse.

The one in Middletown, which was lovely, is probably served by a different warehouse.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

It makes sense to have media tie-ins shelved together, since that's the way they are in most stores. When I hit the "Star Trek" books I initially thought that I'd reached the end of the SF section and started browsing backwards to figure out what they'd done with authors T-Z.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

That's the same B&N I was at Saturday night-- I happened to be staying in a hotel nearby. It does have a nice Sci-Fi/Fantasy section.

Hope you enjoy Devlin!

[libwitch.livejournal.com]

Well, it depends what you mean by "often." I am only in there for a time period about once every two years (when my NYLA conference is in Saratoga), but for the 4 days I am there, I am in there about 3 times a day! On day 2 this year, all the employees knew me by sight.

I was rang out at least once by a tall, geeky fellow - very nice - with glasses - but I didn't catch his name.

[libwitch.livejournal.com]

Not necessarily - the speciality stores (Express and WB) are often served by one, BSS by their own, that they share with other warehouses in the region.

Even the lingo used for shipments and such are different - much to our SM amusement, since she would train BSS employees and have to try to remember what they call their shipments, and what their labels look like.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

The ways of big corporations are mysterious indeed.

[mizkit.livejournal.com]

*laughs* That was very probably him. Dark hair? Well, next time your NYLA conference is in Saratoga...! :)